The economy’s still sputtering, but it looks like there will be lots of freight through the holidays. At least consumer goods and other cargo related to retail sales are doing well, based on recent reports.

Manufacturing activity, and the economy in general, kept growing in September, though some related measurements tempered that good news. Wood Products was the leading manufacturing category reporting growth.
The monthly analysis comes from the Institute for Supply Management, which also notes slower supplier deliveries and a contraction of new orders last month.
The Purchasing Managers Index “registered 51.6 percent, an increase of 1 percentage point from August, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector for the 26th consecutive ...